U.S. Supreme Court Allows Darien Resident’s Suit Against Metro-North to Proceed in State Court

Metro-North Adds Quiet Cars to All Weekday Trains Starting Monday, April 4

Jim Cameron Speaks Thursday on Metro-North’s Problems & Importance to Darien

Tips for Winter Train Travel from Metro-North, and How They Respond to The Season’s Weather

Metro-North Thanksgiving Holiday Service Changes for Nov 25-29

Metro-North Issues New Timetables for New Haven Line Starting Oct 4

Metro-North Train Schedule Changes for Pope’s Visit on Thursday & Friday

Metro-North Holds Two ‘Customer Forums’ Thursday at Grand Central

‘Metro-North: From First to Worst’: Jim Cameron’s Talk to New Canaan Mens Club Friday

Transportation

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Transportation

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The U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear objections to a lawsuit against Metro-North by a Darien widow after her husband fell onto the train tracks in 2013 and was hit by an oncoming train at the Noroton Heights station. The court’s decision means the lawsuit against Metro-North can be held in a state court, likely state Superior Court in Bridgeport, probably in March or April, according to an article in the Connecticut Law Tribune. Jamey Murphy, widow of commuter Kevin Murphy, against Metro-North, filed the lawsuit after her husband slipped on a patch of ice on a station platform and fell on the tracks in 2013. The lawsuit states that Murphy’s husband wouldn’t have been killed if the train, which wasn’t making a stop at the Noroton Heights station, hadn’t been speeding down the track that was closest to the platform. The train using that track put her husband in much greater danger, and Connecticut law forbids trains from using tracks closest to a station platform when the train isn’t making a stop there.

“Quiet Cars” — where passengers are asked to speak only in a “subdued voice,” not use cell phones and disable sound on electronic devices — will be on every weekday Metro-North train as of Monday, April 4, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced. Here’s the announcement:

Starting Monday, April 4, two Quiet Cars will be available on every weekday train — peak and off-peak — thanks to the expansion of our popular “Quiet CALMmute” program. • On all weekday inbound trains, the last two cars are designated Quiet Cars. • On all weekday outbound trains, the first two cars are designated Quiet Cars. Look for the Quiet Car signage identifying the cars.

How did the best commuter railroad in the US suddenly become subject of Federal safety investigations after a series of derailments and collisions claimed lives? Why is Metro-North’s survival crucial to real estate prices in Darien? What’s the future of rail service along CT’s “Gold Coast”? It’s a story of political intrigue, corporate malfeasance and corruption befitting a cheap novel — but it’s all true. Darien resident and long-time commuter advocate Jim Cameron spins the tale of “Metro-North: From First to Worst”.

Here’s advice from Metro-North on using trains in the winter and, below it, an explanation from the rail service on how they respond to the challenges of winter weather (we’ve rearranged their announcement, putting the tips first):

Be Prepared – Know Before You Go:

We strongly encourage you to:

Check www.mta.info for updates, including modified emergency schedules. Sign up for email and text message alerts. Use Metro-North Train Time or the Metro-North Train Time App for real-time train information on your Smartphone or computer. Listen to television and radio news. This is the fastest way to find out how train service is affected by the weather.

Only Turkeys trot, but every Thanksgiving those in the know take Metro-North’s special holiday service! ________________

— An announcement from Metro-North

________________

And they are thankful for avoiding traffic, tolls, and all the other headaches that come with driving on one of the busiest travel holidays of the year. We’ll be publishing a special Thanksgiving Holiday Timetable covering Thursday, Nov. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 29.

Part of an announcement from Metro-North (parts of the announcement not relating to the New Haven line have been removed here, for the full announcement, see this Metro-North Web page):

New timetables are coming to Metro-North’s New Haven Line […] on Sunday, October 4 […]

On the New Haven Line, Metro-North is creating a better morning rush hour connection to Greenwich for Shore Line East customers. […] Customers […] should look for other, minor scheduling changes. Metro-North is making it easier for Shore Line East commuters to reach Greenwich. Commuters who ride Shore Line East’s 5:50 a.m. departure from New London, Conn., making all stops to West Haven, then Bridgeport, then arriving at Stamford at 8:03 a.m., will now be able to change at Stamford for an 8:14 a.m. train to Greenwich. The connecting train previously originated in New Canaan at 7:58 a.m. and ran express after Stamford.

An announcement from Metro-North (we’ve shortened it slightly to remove information on lines other than the New Haven Line, see the full announcement here):

Pope Francis will arrive in New York on Thursday, Sept. 24, and will have a full schedule of events across the city on Friday, Sept. 25, including afternoon Mass at Madison Square Garden. People who can avoid traveling into Manhattan on those days should do so, since many street closures near those locations will result in traffic congestion and pedestrian diversions. Customers should buy round-trip tickets in advance and expect crowded conditions.

Metro-North Railroad is holding two “customer forums” at Grand Central Terminal on Thursday where commuters can ask questions about rail service. The first forum takes place from 7 to 9 a.m. outside the Station Master’s Office at Grand Central Terminal. The second takes place at the same spot from 4 to 6 p.m. Those two are the easiest for Darien commuters to get to, although another one on the New Haven Line will take place Oct. 1 in New Haven. That forum takes place in the Waiting Room of the New Haven Railroad Station from 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Other forums take place in Southeast, N.Y. and Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

« August 2022 »

Jim Cameron of Darien will speak Friday on “Metro-North: From First to Worst,” at the New Canaan Senior Mens Club, meeting at 10 a.m. in St. Mark’s Church, Oenoke Ridge. An announcement from the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council:
How did service get so bad on Metro-North? Is it safe to ride these trains? When will service improve again? These are the questions every commuter and occasional rider of Connecticut’s commuter rail has been asking in recent years. And they will all be answered on Friday Aug. 7, when longtime commuter advocate Jim Cameron addresses the Senior Mens Club of New Canaan.